We spent a little over a year with our Logitech Mevo Start cameras, and they've served us well here at the PodcastVideos studio.
We've got a 4k upgrade planned for 2025, but wanted to take the opportunity to walk you through the past, present and future of our camera experiences.
The Early Days: GoPro Hero 8
In the original test studio - a small, single conference room space - we started out with GoPro Hero 8 cameras.
Pros: The Hero 8 produced high quality from a compact unit. This helped create a clean, uncluttered look in a tight space that wouldn't have been possible with bulkier equipment like a traditional body-and-lens camera.
They were also intuitive and easy to operate with minimal training.
Cons: We discovered two major drawbacks to utilizing the Hero 8 in a studio setting. First, the GoPro is designed as a highly mobile unit. In a static setting like the studio, the cameras tended to overheat, shutting off at inopportune moments.
Second, the file management systems of the GoPro automatically created a new file about every 17 minutes. With multiple cameras filming episodes of an hour or more, a single filming session created as many as 20 files that needed to be organized, shipped and edited together.
Studio Workhorse: Logitech Mevo Start
Our next step was to upgrade to a more stable camera and file management system. We selected the Logitech Mevo Start, a 1080p setup. Knowing we were moving into our larger studio and would need more cameras, the price difference between 1080p and 4k units pushed us in the 1080p direction. File management also dictated that the smaller 1080 files would be easier to move than the much larger 4k files.
In about 16 months of use, we've discovered several points, both good and bad, about the Mevo Start.
On the plus side, they're still a compact unit, and easy to mount in a variety of configurations. The Mevo Multicam app (we installed it on iPads) allows us to both check angles and settings before a session and monitor recordings from outside the studio for QA purposes.
One drawback we encountered was that the cams and app, when connected via wireless, sometimes dropped a camera off the network during recording. That meant we lost at least one angle, sometimes leaving only two others for the editors to work with.
The solve - hardwiring the Starts via ethernet cables - fixed the problem, but the adapters ran about $200 per camera.
The other major drawback: we've noticed a degradation in image quality from some of the cameras compared to when they were new. While there's no hard proof, we believe the electronic sensors behind the lens may be burning out in some of our higher-time units.
Running as much as 20 recording hours per week for our highest-use cameras, this might not be an issue for those using them in more sporadic fashion.
4K: Resolution Revolution
Part of our decision to go with the Start was the cost factor; 4k professional-grade cameras were about three to four times more expensive - and we had to buy about two dozen cameras!
The podcasting industry, however, is moving rapidly toward 4k as a standard, so we've been testing. One advantage we've already discovered is that, with many 4k units, the optical zoom will allow us to cover the same angles with three cameras that have taken five cams previously.
The 4k-ready Mevo Core is about twice the size of the Start, but also can be equipped with interchangeable lenses. This gives potential flexibility without having to change mounting points. We've been testing a Core in the office with positive results - and it runs on the same Mevo Multicam app our staff already knows. It can also shoot in 1080 if you need that option.
There's also a Blackmagic Design Micro on order. We'll be testing that one in early 2025 before making a bulk purchase. It comes with an app similar to Mevo's.
A free tip - it's not just the camera, mixer or uploading computer that can slow the transfer of bigger 4k files. The wireless router, modem and outside internet speeds can make a VERY big difference here.
Traditional Camera Setups and Phone Cams
A 'traditional' lens-on-body setup like the Nikon pictured above was simply too bulky for our purposes. However, they do represent a versatile solution for anyone looking to use a single unit for podcasting, broader video and still photography purposes.
Price is all over the map, depending on resolution, battery size, brand and lens selection.
For our mobile kit, we're using a simple Google Pixel 8 phone camera. It's 4k -capable, but can also shoot in 1080 if you want to save file space and don't require the higher resolution.
We chose it over other cell phone solutions based on camera quality, price, and the ease of connecting it to Google Drive for uploading. This project is still coming together, so look for some updates once we've put some real-world recording time on it.
So, that's a quick rundown of our experiences so far. We'd love to hear from you too, so weigh in with your experiences and recommendations!
